The Devil ...

I wake up an hour before my alarm. Its 10am. I cant seem to fall back to sleep. My thoughts drift back to the night before, attempting to focus on the plotline and twists of of "24". Desperate for English TV, we had hired out season 2 and watched the first 4 hours, back to back. In a drowsy haze, I try to pull together its delicate web as I complete my morning rituals.

I am half way through frying up some Tofu and Soy Sauce when my flatmate wanders out. He cluches his stomache and grimaces from beneath his bedevilled hair. He doesnt need to speak. I understand the look of terror and his nervous smile. Today is the first day of the school year proper.

-----

Somewhere in Takatsuki City (Kansai area) is a Japanese lass excitedly blowing up balloons and tacking decorations around the foyer and rooms. She has already layed out the 8 name badges, each delicately handwritten; pink for girls, blue for boys. They lie silently in the center of the new cushions which are carefully arranged in a semi-circle. She wonders quietly to herself if the room needs more green or red to be balanced. Will blue create a friendly atmosphere, will pink soften it? What would a group of 6 year old prefer?

She again cleans the large windows which make up the internal walls, there can be no smudges or streaks. In a few hours, the room will be full of excited children run and screaming and having fun, their parents pressed against the glass. Some will hid conspiciously around the corner, out of their child's view but their every sigh and shuffle caught in a teachers peripherial vision. Others will simply look on and offer the occasional smile or wave of encouragement.

-----

"Oh god. I dont think I can eat this.　Im gonna be sick!" cries my flatmate. Im 1/2 way through the tofu omelette I cooked and send him a shrug.
"Ive got a group of 4-6 year olds, 8x 6-9 years olds, and a adult group class! Not to mension the FTLs.　Atleast you get to sing "Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" By the time you teach the vocab, thats bound to kill 10 minutes right there," I reply. He glances over at me and back at his toast.
"True say, " he smiles, "atleast its not as bad as your schedual." Damn, hes right.
We pour over the training material, desperate for some insight into classroom management, implementing rules, song lyrics, flash card usage, alphabet activities. After an hour, the words start swimming on the page. We drive ourselves crazy with worst case scenarios, then recount out own years of mischief from our pre-teen school days.
"Oh god. Its gonna be hell," we both chorus in unison.

-----

I arrive at the school an hour early. I need to prep my room, write my lesson plan on the whiteboard, lay the flashcards out, check the pens work, que the cassette tapes. I can hear a high pitch squeal from the foyer. I glance at the clock. 5 mintues to the hour, 5 minutes till the class. The sound of chatter gets louder and louder as the kids assemble outside. I try not too look. Finish your board work. Do I have all the colour cards.　A cookie monster hand puppet lays limp at my feet.

I hear a noise and turn. Small faces with giant eyes peek around the corner. Now I feel sick. Turn back, turn back! Greet students, do the roll call, teach colours ... Black, pink, blue, green, red ... wheres red?!?

I can hear them creep closer. I turn and they run out, shrieking and laughing. With my back towards them they again creep closer. Turning, i hear them giggle and see only their little legs as they bolt outside. Again and again and again we play this game, each time they creep further and further in, testing my boundries, while I check my materials. I glance at the clock. Its time. I don the Cookie Monster hand puppet and take a deep breath. Wish me luck, I say to him as I approach the door and motion for them to line up.

And then I go blank ....